The Welsh School of Architecture (WSA) ( cy, Ysgol Bensaernïaeth Cymru) is an academic school of

Cardiff University , latin_name = , image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University , motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord , mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord , established = 1 ...

. It is generally regarded as a world leading school of

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

, and one of the top architecture schools in Britain. In 2019, QS ranked the school immediately behind

Ivy League The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight schools ...

school

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...

and ahead of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

and

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

."2019 QS World University Rankings by subject"
''QS World Ranking'', 2019. Retrieved 2020-19-01. The Welsh School of Architecture is currently listed as number 3 in the UK by The Guardian Rankings, number 5 by the complete university guide, and number 5 in the UK by the QS Subject rankings.

Background

The Welsh School of Architecture was established in 1920About Us – Facts and Figures
Welsh School of Architecture. Retrieved 2016-03-09. originally as Cardiff's Technical Institute (later part of the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology). For two years WSA was voted the UK's top School of Architecture in the '' Times Higher Educational Supplement'' league table. In 2013, it was ranked second by ''The Guardian'' and, in a poll of architects carried out by the ''

Architects' Journal ''Architects' Journal'' is an architectural magazine published in London by Metropolis International. History The first edition was produced in 1895. Originally named ''The Builder's Journal and Architectural Record'', from 1906 to 1910 it was kn ...

'', was ranked equal first with the

Architectural Association The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest independent school of architecture in the UK and one of the most prestigious and competitive in the world. Its wide-ranging programme ...

as the top UK school."The Welsh School of Architecture's Summer Show Hits London"
''The Architectural Review'', 20 June 2013. Retrieved 2014-10-02. Its "intellectual, yet no-nonsense approach" to design embraces all aspects of architecture and is focused around the studio project, based on one-to-one design teaching. Academic staff are supported by visiting professors and tutors from local and leading UK practices. The UK's largest Sky Dome, an artificial sky 8 metres in diameter run by the school and used for daylight modelling and sun-path studies, was built in the basement of the building in 1999. In July 2013, the annual degree show of student work was for the first time held in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, at the Truman Gallery in Brick Lane. The 2015 show was described by ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

'' as "more down to earth" than others but "motivated by a belief in betterment".

Courses

The WSA offers an accredited

BSc A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

undergraduate degree in Architectural Studies. It condenses its Part II architecture course, which would normally involve 2 years of full-time study, into a year spent working in practice with part-time study modules, followed by 1 year full-time at college. The Part II doubles as a

Master of Architecture The “Master of Architecture”(M.Arch or MArch) or a “Bachelor of Architecture” is a professional degree in architecture, qualifying the graduate to move through the various stages of professional accreditation (internship, exams) that res ...

qualification. The school also offers a range of taught and research postgraduate courses including the Diploma in Professional Studies, an MA in Urban Design and

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

degrees in Sustainable Building Conservation or Sustainable Energy and Environment.

Notable people and alumni

* Prof Dewi-Prys Thomas (1916–85) - a charismatic teacher and advocate for Wales and the built environment. * Prof

Dean Hawkes Dean Hawkes is a British architect and award-winning academic. Born in 1938 he studied at Regional College of Art, Manchester and Clare College, University of Cambridge. His career combined practice, teaching and research: From 1965 – 1995 he ...

* Prof Sarah Lupton – architect, arbitrator and author of numerous books on professional practice and law. Personal Chair at WSA. * Prof

Malcolm Parry C. Malcolm Parry (born c. 1938

– TV personality and former Head of the School of Architecture * Prof

Peter Salter Peter Salter is a British architect and academic, born in 1947. In 1962 he began a course at the Shoreditch College of Furnishing Trades, in preparation to become a furniture designer. In 1964, he worked as a junior draftsman for a patent glazi ...

* Prof

Flora Samuel Flora Samuel is a British architect, author and academic. In 2009 she became the Head of the School of Architecture at Sheffield University, the first woman to hold the post.Steve Parnell''Flora Samuel: "I'm not sure the term architect really desc ...

– former lecturer at the school and author of books on

Le Corbusier Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , , ), was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture. He was ...

; head of the

University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

School of Architecture (since 2010). * Prof

Simon Unwin Simon Unwin (born 1952) is a British architect and writer. Life He was born in 1952 in Yorkshire, but grew up in Wales. He studied at the Chelsea School of Art in London and the Welsh School of Architecture in Cardiff. From the Welsh School ...

– author of ''Analysing Architecture'' and other books. Former Senior Lecturer at the school. * Prof Richard Weston – architect, author and designer.''The Independent on Sunday'
Wrapped in Thought: how an architecture professor become the hot new thing on Liberty's books
20 March 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-07 Current (2011) Chair of Architecture at WSA. * Prof Alan Lipman *

Dale Owen Ivan Dale Owen (2 August 1924 – 12 November 1997) was a Welsh architect in the modernist architectural style. The Glamorgan Archives and ''The Independent'' newspaper both described him as a 'leading figure in Welsh architecture'. He was ...

- a 'leading figure in Welsh architecture'. * Mark So - a pioneer in 'non-conforming systems architecture'.

References

External links

Welsh School of ArchitectureDesign Research Unit Wales
{{coord, 51.4865, -3.1827, type:edu_region:GB, display=title Architecture schools in Wales Cardiff University Educational institutions established in 1920 1920 establishments in Wales